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Central Australia Redtails' bid for a spot in the big league

Rick Hind
Fri 26 Oct 2012, 9:55 PM AEDT

AFLNT Chief Executive Tony Frawley talks about the logistics and cost of bringing the Redtails into the NTFL.

Transcript

LOUISA REBGETZ, PRESENTER: This weekend, the Central Australia Redtails will return to Marrara for their fourth and final trial match in the Northern Territory's top football competition. The Redtails take on Nightcliff, having notched up two wins and one loss in their run in the NTFL. In the next few months they'll learn if they have what it takes to be accepted into the league on a permanent basis. ABC sport reporter Rick Hind asked the AFLNT's chief executive Tony Frawley if the Redtails had met his expectations.

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Oh I think so, you know we wanted to make sure that they were competitive and they've really been super competitive over the three matches they've played and you know the reason for the trial was we had to see whether they got used to the travelling and the higher level of competition - they've been able to handle that quite well.

RICK HIND, REPORTER: What prospect do they have of playing fulltime next season?

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: We know they can play at the level now and we have to work with the club very closely on, you know, their ongoing financial viability. It will cost a lot of money to play a full season in the NTFL. We need access to a ground in central Australia with lights because they'll have to be played at seven o'clock at night in the NTFL season, and really we want to protect the brands of Thunder and the Central Australian Football League as well so they're probably the main issues we need to sign off on before they got a licence in the NTFL.

RICK HIND: How much does it cost to fly the Redtails up to Darwin for their games?

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Yeah it's about 30,000 dollars a flight, but that includes the accommodation as well so it's about 30,000 every time they come up. Certainly we flew St Marys down Round One to play and it was about 30,000 dollars so it is expensive but you know, it's a very good concept and the community in Alice Springs really want it.

RICK HIND: Where would the Redtails stay in Darwin long-term?

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: No they'll stay in the academy. We'll build the academy here next year and there'll be accommodation here at the oval for them and Wadeye and Tiwi Bombers and the like. Clubs will come in and play NTFL on the weekend will stay there.

RICK HIND: And how are those costs going to be met?

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Well certainly we'll pick up the costs of the accommodation here because we'll run the academy but we need to go to corporate Australia, we need to go to government, we need to go to the Alice Springs community and say firstly, do you want it and is it a viable concept? Is it viable ongoing and we'll work with all the stakeholders around central Australia and get a view and see whether they really want the team - I think they do, and then we'll move from there.

RICK HIND: Would you being relying on money from the national AFL?

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Oh for sure, you know we've already put into the concept already and certainly we'll look at that. We would see it as a partnership between government, probably corporate and the AFL to try and fund the team.

RICK HIND: What undertakings have you been given by the new Northern Territory Government?

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Certainly the Chief Minister has been positive about it. You know we've got the current Sports Minister, Matt Conlan, based in central Australia and he's very keen on it and you know so we'll work with both levels of government, probably you know the, plus we need to work with the Alice Springs town council as well but certainly NT Government, Federal Government will be key drivers of it.

RICK HIND: What does the central Australian Football League think of having what would be a rep. team in the NTFL?

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Yeah they're fairly positive. As I said before you know we've got to have rules in place - they can't play 40 matches we know that, they can't come off a full season in the central Australian league and come in and play full season NTFL. As Thunder, we manage that through the Thunder management program but so that's one issue we need to sign off on and we want to protect the league - the league's going well down there. We want to make sure that the new team doesn't impact on that too much.

RICK HIND: What do the other teams in Darwin and Palmerston think of this move and the expansion overall since the Tiwi Bombers joined in 2008?

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: I think they've been generally positive. You know when we've put these concepts to the clubs they've been very supportive of it. Obviously cost is a factor for them and you know we need to pick up those costs but certainly we think the Tiwi Bombers and the Wadeye footy club and now the Central Australian Redtails have been good for the league here. It's created a lot of interest and we need to keep bringing different brands in all the time to do things differently and people will come and watch different brands play.

TONY FRAWLEY, AFLNT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Yeah well interesting. They've having another 11-week trial this year. That come from the community themselves - they wanted another trial. They felt they weren't ready to play a full season and next season they'll come in for the 18 rounds and we're pleased about that.